Planetary coiler



R. D. KINCAID PLANETARY COILER 3 Sheets-5heet l Filed DBG. 5, 1967 INVENTOR: RON/mb, ibm/lb Kmam ATTORNEYS Oct. 7, 1969 R. D. KINCAID PLANETARY COILER 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 5. 196'?l S. ,.brvs. ,Mmmm .Vn M mmf www Q Y oct. 7, 1969 R. D. mmm 3,470,587

PLANETARY COILER Filed Dec. 5, 1967 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 F1 g'. 7 INVENTOR:

20mm bAvm KlNcAm ATmRNEYs United States Patent O 3,470,587 PLANETARY COILER Ronald David Kincaid, Kings Mountain, N C., assignor,

by mesne assignments, to The Warner & Swasey Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Filed Dec. 5, 1967, Ser. No. 688,056 Int. Cl. D01h N36, 1/40 U.S. Cl. 19-159 2 Claims ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to coilers for coiling strand material; especially textile slivers, into cans or other containers, and is particularly concerned with an improved planetary coiler incorporating therein calender rolls substantially centrally disposed above an eccentric coiler member for facilitating the positioning and feeding of sliver thereto, and wherein simplified power transmission means are provided for rotating the eccentric coiler member and associated calender rolls.

Another feature of the invention is to provide a planetary coiler which may be operated at very high speeds facilitated by the fact that the calender rolls are carried by and moved with the spectacle which rotates at a much slower speed than that of the eccentrically positioned coiler member; eg., the coiler member may rotate on its axis about 40 to 60 times faster than the spectacle depending upon the desired lay of the strand material in the corresponding container.

Generally, the invention is directed to improvements in a planetary coiler of the type disclosed in the assignees copending application Ser. No. 566,870, filed July 21, 1966, now Patent No. 3,355,775, and entitled Planetary Coiler Head, and comprises a driven rotary spectacle in which a rotary coiler member is eccentrically positioned and wherein a supporting means is fixed on the spectacle for supporting calender rolls so that they overlie the coiler member and are intersected by the rotational axis of the coiler member. Thus, the calender rolls move in an orbital path whose radius corresponds to the distance between the axes of the spectacle and the coiler member so that the calender rolls always are intersected by the rotational axis of the coiler member throughout orbital movement of the coiler member about the axis of the spectacle. A guide means, preferably in the form of an inclined tube, is positioned between the calender rolls and the coiler member for guiding strand material through an exit passage eccentrically located and extending through the coiler member and, additionally, a coiler gear mounted in xed relation to the coiler member and substantially concentric with the coiler member is drivingly connected to a driven rotary ring gear which is substantially concentric with, but rotates independently of, the spectacle. A gear means operatively connects the coiler gear to the calender rolls for driving the calender rolls.

Some of the objects of the invention having been stated, other objects will appear as the description proceeds when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which- FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of one embodiment of the planetary coiler of the instant invention with upper portions of its housing means removed for purposes of clarity;

FIGURE 2 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially along line 2-2 in FIGURE l and including the upper portions of the housing means;

FIGURE 3 is a top plan view, on a reduced scale, of the planetary coiler;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional View of the lower left-hand portion of the coiler shown in FIG- URE 2;

FIGURE 5 is a vertical sectional view showing a second embodiment of the planetary coiler;

FIGURE 6 is a somewhat schematic plan view, on a reduced scale, of a coiler member drive means of the planetary coiler shown in FIGURE 5; and

FIGURE 7 is a schematic plan view showing still another embodiment of the drive means for the coiler member.

FIRST EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Referring more specifically to the drawings, the planetary coiler of FIGURES 1-4 comprises a driven rotary spectacle 10 having a planar lower surface. Spectacle 10 is supported for rotation about a substantially vertical main axis A in a large circular opening 11 formed in a main housing 12. Housing 12 may be supported upon a. suitable frame shown in the form of a column 13 in FIG- URE 2.

The base 10a of spectacle 10 is provided with an opening 15 therethrough in which the lower portion of a rotary coiler member 16 is positioned in eccentric relation to spectacle 10. In other words, coiler member 16 is supported by spectacle 10, in a manner to be later described, for rotation about substantially vertical auxiliary axis B spaced from main axis A.

Coiler member 16 is also provided with a planar lower surface which is substantially ush with the lower surface of spectacle 1t). As shown, spectacle 10 and coiler member 16 overlie a stationary coiler can 17 or other suitable container for receiving a textile sliver S or other strand material therein. Coiling of the sliver S in the required convolute path within can 17 is obtained by the coil forming rotation of coiler member 16 and the coil precessing rotation of spectacle 10. The base 16a of coiler member 16 has an eccentrically located strand exit passage or opening 20 therethrough for the passage of sliver therethrough.

In FIGURES l and 2, spectacle 1@ and coiler member 16 are mounted for relative rotation and for rotation relative to main housing 12 by support means of the type disclosed in said copending application Serial No. 566,870. As best shown in FIGURES 2 and 4, the inner peripheral surface of main housing 12 and the outer peripheral surface of the upstanding annular ange of coiler member 16 are provided with respective annular bead projections or trackways 22, 23, the former of which is concentric with the circular opening 11 in housing 12, and the latter of which is concentric with auxiliary axis lB of coiler member 16. The trackways 22, 23 are engaged by respective groups of circumferentially spaced, peripherally grooved rollers 24, 25 which are rotatably mounted on respective posts 26, 27 attached to and projecting upwardly from the lower wall or base 10a of spectacle 10. It is thus seen that spectacle 10 is suspended from housing 12 for rotation therein and that spectacle 10 supports coiler member 16 for rotation relative thereto. The configuration of the annular trackways 22, 23 and the respective peripherally grooved rollers 24, 25 is such as to restrain spectacle 10 and coiler member 16 against relative vertical movement and to also restrain spectacle 10` from vertical movement relative to housing 12.

Drive means for imparting relative rotation to spectacle 10 and coiler member 16 will now be described.

In FIGURES 1 and 2, the numeral 30 designates a suitably driven drive shaft which may be driven by the associated machine such as a carding machine or drawing frame, for example. In this instance, drive shaft 30 extends vertically within column 13 and enters a gear box 31 which may be suitably secured to housing 12. The gear box 31 contains a train of gears 32 which connect the upper portion of drive shaft 30 to a pair of drive gears 33, 34 partially disposed within gear box 31 and which extend through suitable slots provided in the wall of the housing 12. Drive gear 33 engages a circle of gear teeth 36 projecting outwardly from the peripheral upwardly extending flange of spectacle 10, which circle of gear teeth constitutes a spectacle gear. Thus drive gear 33 irnparts relatively slow rotation to spectacle on its main axis A.

In the first embodiment of the invention, a drive means for imparting rotation to coiler member 16 comprises an annular ring gear broadly designated at 40 and provided with externally and internally toothed surfaces 41, 42, respectively (FIGURE 4). Ring gear 40` is substantially concentric with and positioned above spectacle 10. Also, ring gear 40 is supported by spectacle 10, but rotation thereof is effected independently of rotation of spectacle 10. Accordingly, an upwardly extending projection on ring gear 40 has a radially inwardly projecting bead portion or annular trackway 44 thereon which is engaged by a plurality of circumferentially spaced, peripherally grooved rollers 45 rotatably mounted on respective posts 46 which extend downwardly and are carried by the base 10a of spectacle 10 (see right-hand portion of FIG- URE 2).

The externally toothed surface 41 of ring gear 40 is meshingly engaged by drive gear 34 (FIGURE 1) for rotating ring gear 40, and the internally toothed surface 42 of ring gear `4t) meshes with an externally toothed surface 50, constituting a coiler gear, surrounding the upper portion of the annular ange of coiler member 16 and located above trackway 23. Thus, it can be seen that ring gear 40 transmits rotation to coiler member 16 at a substantially higher speed than that of spectacle 10, and that the exit passage in coiler member 16 moves in an epicyclical manner whereby the axis B of coiler member 16 moves in an orbital path about main axis A.

Calender rolls, and supporting driving means therefor, will now be described.

Positioned substantially centrally above coiler member 16 is a pair of calendar rolls 52, 53 which are arranged to move in an orbital path corresponding to the orbital path of the axis B of coiler member 16 about axis A of spectacle 10. The strand material or sliver S passes from a suitable source, not shown; such as the drafting rolls of a draw frame or the doifer of a card, and passes through a trumpet or condensing member 54 positioned above and movable with calender rolls 52, 53 in said orbital path. The lower end of the trumpet terminates in close proximity to the nip of calender rolls 52, 53.

As shown, and as is preferred, calender rolls 52, 53 are spaced substantially above coiler member 16 and a guide means in the form of an inclined tube 56 is positioned between calender rolls 52, 53 and coiler member 16 for guiding the strand material to the eccentrically located exit passage 20 of coiler member 16 and thereby directing and coiling the strand material or sliver S into can 17.

To facilitate locating the calender rolls 52, 53 so they intersect the rotational axis B of coiler member 16, calender rolls 52, 53 are supported and driven in a novel manner. To this end, the shafts 52a, 53a of the respective calender rolls 52, 53 are rotatably mounted in respective bearing members 60, 61. Bearing member 61 is attached to bearing member 60 through a suitable toggle mechanism or linkage 63 of well known type, and bearing member 60 is fixed to a cantilever arm 65 whose outer portion is adjustably mounted on a composite bracket or support member broadly designated at 66. Arm 65 may be releasably secured in operative position by means of arcuate slots 65a and screws 65h, but may be swung on bracket 66 to permit easy access to coiler member 16, when desired. Support member 66 extends downwardly and is suitably secured to spectacle 10, as best shown in FIGURE 2.

The outer end of shaft 52a, remote from calender roll 52, has a bevel gear 70 xed thereon which meshes with a bevel gear 71 on the upper end of an upright jack shaft 72 suitably journaled in support member 66. The lower portion of jack shaft 72 has a gear 73 fixed thereon which meshes with an idler gear 74 which, in turn, meshes with coiler gear 50, thus providing means opera-ble independently of the spectacle 10 for transmitting rotation from coiler member 16 to calender rolls 52, 53.

It is apparent that the transmission means embodied in gears 70, 71, 73, 74 is such that the peripheral speed of calender rolls 52, 53 corresponds substantially with the rate at which the strand material or sliver S is being received in the stationary can 17 in the course of the epicyclical motion of the exit passage 20 in coiler member 16, taking into consideration the maintenance of suitable tension draft in the sliver S in its course between calender rolls 52, 53 and the package being formed in stationary can 17.

In order to shield the calender rolls 52, 53, the spectacle 10, the coiler member 16 and associated parts from excessive accumulations of lint and foreign matter thereon during operation of the planetary coiler, an auxiliary housing 80, Whose lower portion is preferably circular, rests upon and may be suitably secured to main housing 12. Although it is not entirely necessary, it is preferred that the upper portion of auxiliary housing tapers upwardly, as shown in FIGURE 2. Since trumpet 54 must move in an orbital path corresponding substantially to the orbital path of the axis B of coiler member 16, the upper portion or end of auxiliary housing 80' is provided with a relatively large opening 81 therein into which the upper portion of trumpet 54 extends, and the trumpet 54 is mounted in a suitable bracket 82 which, together with an overlying cover or cap 83, is suitably removably secured to bearing member 60. Cover 83 overlies and normally closes opening 81 in the upper end of auxiliary housing 80. Further, cover 83 is provided.

with a relatively small opening 85 which is located eccentrically of the axis of rotation of cover 83 to accommodate the upper portion of trumpet 54 or, at least, to facilitate the entrance of sliver S into trumpet 54 and thus to calender rolls 52, 53.

Although the planetary coiler has been described with the axes A, B of the spectacle 10 and the coiler member 16 extending in a vertical direction, and with the calender rolls 52, 53 positioned above coiler member 16, it is apparent that the entire planetary coiler may be inverted so that the calender rolls 52, 53 are positioned below coiler member 16, or the entire planetary coiler may be positioned in any desired angular attitude, without departing from the spirit of the invention. In other words, the particular attitude of the various parts of the planetary coiler and the relationship thereof are set forth in the specification and claims for descriptive purposes only. By way of example, reference is made to United States Patent No. 3,345,702 granted to Hermann Miedler et al. on Oct. 10, 1967, wherein coilers are shown whose axes extend at different angles, and also wherein calender rolls are located to one side of or beneath a coiler member or tube gear.

SECOND EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Referring to FIGURES 5 and 6, the second embodiment of the planetary coiler there shown is quite similar to the rst embodiment shown in FIGURES l-4 with the important exception of the manner in which the coiler member is rotatably supported by the spectacle, and the means for transmitting rotation from the ring gear to the coiler member. Therefore, those parts shown in FIG- URES 5 and 6 which are substantially the same as corresponding parts shown in FIGURES 1-4 will bear the same reference characters, where applicable, with the prime notation added, in order to avoid repetitive description of these particular parts.

Although the bead or annular trackway 44 of ring gear 40' is shown in FIGURE 5 positioned below the external and internal toothed surfaces 41', 42', ring gear 40', as Well as spectacle 10 may be supported for relative rotation in the same manner as that described with respect to FIGURES 1-4. In order that the rotational speed of ring gear 40 may be reduced as compared to the speed of ring gear 40 in order to impart a given speed of rotation to the respective coiler members 16, 16', it will be observed in FIGURE 6 that the internal toothed surface 42 of ring gear 40' is spaced from and therefore does not engage the gear 50 of coiler member 16'. Instead, a step-up gear transmission means is provided between the ring gear 40 and coiler member 16'.

As shown in FIGURES 5 and 6, coiler member 16 is provided with a coiler gear 90 which is preferably of substantially lesser diameter than coiler gear 50. Coiler gear 90 is substantially concentric with coiler member 16. In order that coiler gear 90 may be located above the level of the upwardly projecting annular flange of coiler member 16', the base 16a' of coiler member 16' is provided with a centrally disposed post or standard 91 integral therewith or suitably secured thereto. An upper portion of standard 91 has the coiler gear 90 xed thereon and, in this instance, the inclined tube 56' extends upwardly through gear 90.

Coiler gear 90 is engaged by a relatively large intermediate gear 93 journaled on a stub shaft 94 carried by a bracket 95 suitably secured to spectacle 10. A smaller intermediate gear 96 is suitably attached in fixed axial relation to gear 93 and meshes with a pinion 97. The pinion 97 engages the internal toothed surface 42 of ring gear 40. Thus, the driven ring gear 40 transmits rotation to coiler member 16' through the gears 97, 96, 93, 90, in that order, so that the peripheral surface of coiler member 16 moves at a substantially faster linear speed than the linear speed of the internal toothed surface 42 of ring gear 40. In FIGURE 5, the rst coiler gear 50' is shown, because it serves to drive calender rolls 52', 53 asin the first embodiment.

Instead of supporting the coiler member 16 on spectacle by means of a plurality of circumferentially spaced rollers as is the case in the iirst embodiment of the invention shown in FIGURES 1-4, the annular trackway or bead, such as the trackway 23 of FIGURE 2, is not required o1 may be omitted from coiler member 16' as shown in FIGURE 5, and the upper end portion of standard or post 91 is enlarged, as at 100, and is pressed into the inner race of an antifriction bearing or ball bearing member 101 of substantially lesser diameter than coiled member 16. The enlarged portion 100 of post 91 is shown located above gear 90, is also penetrated by sliver guide tube 56', and is suitably secured in the inner race of antifriction bearing member 101.

The outer race of antifriction bearing member 101 is mounted in a support member 102 spaced above and overlying coiler member 16. Support member 102 is a portion of a spider-like bracket and has a plurality of radially outwardly extending arms 103 thereon which extend downwardly past the ange of coiler member 16', and whose lower portions are provided with suitable foot portions 104 penetrated by suitable screws 105 for securing the same to the upper surface of the base 10a' of spectacle 10. It is thus seen that coiler member 16 is rotatably suspended, at its central upper portion, from the support member or bracket 102. The antifriction bear. ing member 101 and support member 102 also serve to maintain the stepped lower portion of coiler member 16 out of engagement with the wall of opening 15 formed in the base 10a of spectacle 10.

In order to lend stability to the coiler member 16' during rotation thereof, the outer peripheral surface of the upwardly projecting annular ange of coiler member 16 is engaged by a plurality of circumferentially spaced rollers 110, supported for rotation on respective vertical axes, on posts 111 carried by and projecting upwardly from spectacle 10.

It should be noted that rollers have no supporting function insofar as supporting the weight of coiler member 16' is concerned, but the peripheral surfaces thereof engage the common outer peripheral surface of the upstanding flange portion of coiler member 16 to insure that the lower portion of coiler member 16 is stabilized and rotates in a concentric manner at all times. Thus the lower planar surface of coiler member 16 remains properly aligned with and flush with the lower planar surface of spectacle 10 at all times during operation of the planetary coiler of FIGURES 5 and 6.

THIRD EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION The third embodiment of the invention is concerned only with the drive means for transmitting rotation to the coiler member and, accordingly, only such drive means is shown schematically in FIGURE 7. Those parts shown in FIGURE 7 corresponding to similar or like parts in FIGURES 5 and 6 will bear the same reference character with the double prime notation added where applicable. As shown in FIGURE 7, coiler member 16" is rotatably supported by spectacle 10 in the same manner as that described with respect to FIGURES 5 and 6, although it is to be understood that coiler member 16 may be mounted in the same manner as coiler member 16 of FIGURES 1, 2 and 4. While the coiler gear 90 of FIGURE 6 need not necessarily be of lesser diameter than coiler member 16 in order to cause coiler member 16 to rotate at a faster peripheral speed than the linear speed of the inner internal toothed surface 42 of ring gear 40', it will be observed in FIGURE 7 that only a single intermediate gear 115 is interposed between the internal toothed surface 42 of ring gear 40" and the coiler gear 90". Thus, in this instance, it is necessary that the coiler gear 90 is of a substantially lesser diameter than the diameter of coiler member 16" in order to insure that the linear speed of the periphery of coiler member 16" is substantially greater than the linear speed of the internal toothed surface 42" of ring gear 40". This is believed to be necessary in respect to FIGURE 7 since the linear speed of the teeth of intermediate gear 115 is the same as the linear speed of the internal toothed surface 42" of ring gear 40, and thus, the linear speed of the toothed peripheral surface of coiler 90" is the same as that of the internal toothed surface 42 of ring gear 40". In all other respects, the third embodiment of the invention shown in FIGURE 7 may be identical to that shown and described with respect to FIGURES 5 and 6, and accordingly, a further detailed description thereof is deemed unnecessary.

It is thus seen that I have provided an improved planetary coiler for coiling strand material into a stationary container and wherein a driven rotary spectacle is supported in the coiler housing by means of a plurality of spaced rollers engaging an annular trackway, and also wherein calender rolls supported by the spectacle are substantially centrally disposed above an eccentric coiler member rotatably supported by the spectacle, with simplied power transmission means for rotating the coiler member and the calender rolls. Since the calender rolls rotate bodily in an orbital path about the axis of the spectacle, and with the spectacle, they move much slower than the coiler member, thereby facilitating the positioning and feeding of strand material to the trumpet and calender rolls while the coiler is in operation.

In the drawings and specification there have been set forth preferred embodiments of the invention and, although specic terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being dened in claims.

I claim:

1. A planetary coiler comprising a housing, a driven rotary spectacle, means rotatably supporting said spectacle in said housing and comprising a plurality of spaced rollers and trackway means engageable therewith, a rotary coiler member eccentrically positioned in said spectacle and having an eccentrically located strand exit passage therethrough, an annular bearing of substantially lesser diameter than said coiler member and carried by said spectacle in concentric relation to said coiler member, means on said coiler member engaging said annular bearing and rotatably supporting said coiler member therefrom, calender rolls positioned substantially centrally above said coiler member, means supporting said calender rolls on and for movement with said spectacle, guide means positioned between said calender rolls and said coiler member for guiding strand material to said exit passage, means including a coiler gear transmitting References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,320,642 5/1967 Fronza et al. 19--159 3,345,702 10/1967 Miedler et a1. 19-159 3,355,775 12/1967 Whitehurst 19-159 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,357,187 2/ 1964 France.

OTHER REFERENCES Publication, The High-Speed Planetary Coiler from Crosrol.

DORSEY NEWTON, Primary Examiner 

